Purple Pride Ponderings - Week 1 2008

When the calendar hit September this year, there were two things I heavily anticipated - Metallica's new album, and a revamped Vikings football team. Similar, yet different. Metallica is and always has been my favorite Rock/Metal band. The Vikings is and always have been my favorite football team. Leading up to September, I had to wonder would this be the album that brings Metallica back to the level us die-hard fans remember? As for the Vikings, would this be the year Childress and his "kick ass offense" takes off and leads us to the promised land? ESPN took my love for both a step further on Monday night. They fused them together throughout the entire broadcast, paying homage to the best band on the planet. A nice plug for the new album indeed, but it also got this Vikings fan that was already clamoring for a statement victory against the hated Packers - even more amped.

As we all know, part of this metal infused evening left me feeling like the typical lyrics of a sad Country song, and that part would be the Minnesota Vikings.

The Stage was set, and he blew it
Jackson once again, did not have a good night, completing less that 50% of his passes. Sure he looked a bit better in the second half, but how could he not after piling up a measly six yards in the first half. As bad as the Vikings overall appeared to play (and as much as Rodgers was....Favre-like....puke!), they still found themselves in the game, with a chance to win on the final drive. This was it, Jackson's chance to prove all the sceptics wrong, show them that he is ready to be a big-time play maker in this league. But of course, instead he throws a horrible interception at the most inopportune time. Game over, Vikings fans left wondering what to do about a team with loads of talent, and a QB that still seems incapable of leading them.

Money well spent
Well at least that's what we were led to believe this entire off-season. The Vikings spent a truck-load of money on three players in particular - Jarred Allen, Bernard Berrian, and Maideu Williams. So how did they fare in this Monday night dance with their hated rival?

Williams - Did not play, out with a bad neck. May see action by week three.
Berrian - Three receptions for 38 yards and no touchdowns. If this guy could actually stay on his feet, he very well would have been over 100 yards with a score. But hey, at least he caught a few balls, which is more than Williamson could of ever said last year.
Allen - 0 tackles, 0 sacks Shut your mouth and play next week Country boy!

A little harsh on these guys after week one, but when you make the kind of jing they got, you better perform.

Offensive Line
I'm sure Jackson took a lot offense to the way these guys played. I understand that McKinnie was out, but let's face it, that guy is overrated anyway. Jackson is taking a ton of heat after this game and rightfully so, but the Offensive Line did nothing to help in regards to pass protection. Jackson hardly ever had time to sit in the pocket and go through his reads, and when he did, he stood there and took a few shots, which is a credit to him. This unit better gel and gel quickly, or the next three games will put Jackson in the hospital.

The three big plays
Three big plays decided the outcome of this game.

1. The punt return for a touchdown, most of which was run down the sideline (the supposed extra man).
2. The bomb to Greg Jennings. Outstanding catch! While Rodgers seems to be getting all the accolades for that, it's Jennings that deserves it.
3. The 50+ yard Ryan Grant run that lead to the winning touchdown. Totally unacceptable for this defense. Grant is not that great of a running back, something I think that will be exposed with Favre gone. For a team that prides itself in stopping the run, they really shot themselves in the foot at that wrong time. This unit should take on as much heat as Jackson did for his interception.

A pissed off Manning comes to town
So what do we have to look forward to next week? How about a pissed off Colts team after stinking it up in their new house against that Bears. Neither of these teams wants to be 0-2 and both have something to prove now. The Vikings front seven HAS to get pressure on Manning or it's going to be a long day in the big inflatable toilet.

That's all I can muster after this debacle. As I stated earlier, would this be the year Childress and his "kick ass offense" takes off and leads us to the promised land? As of right now, the only ass kicking going on is the new Metallica album, Death Magnetic. From beginning to end, it's a hard-charged, the boys are back and grabbing you by the balls, epic masterpiece. Wish I could say the same about the Vikings, but hey, relax, it was only week one.

Later,
Keith Michaels
venomlace@yahoo.com

McKinnie suspended for four games

We all knew it was coming. Since training camp started it was inevitable that the NFL would suspend Bryant McKinnie for his brawl at a Miami night club this past February. It's not the actual suspension that bothers me, it's that fact that a player gets suspended four games for hitting another man at a night club, while another only gets one game for hitting a woman.

Earlier this week, the NFL reduced the four game suspension of Brandon Marshall to one game. This guy hit his girlfriend and still has a hearing for drunk driving coming up later in September.

So what kind of message exactly is the Commissioner trying to send here? I understand that McKinnie assaulted another man with a rope-post, but still, at least he assaulted another man. I firmly believe that his suspension is warranted, but I'm a little befuddled by the reduction in games for Marshall.

So, how bad does this affect the Vikings? Well it has Artis Hicks protecting Jackson's blind side for the first four rather important games. I say important based on the Defensive Ends he will be facing. After Kampman on Monday night, he will be lined up against the Colts' Dwight Freeney, Panthers' Julius Peppers, and the Titans Kyle Vanden Bosch. That's a daunting task for any tackle to start the season.

With the only true question mark for the Vikings being at quarterback, this does not make the situation any better and will be watched closely to see how Hicks handles this pressure.

No Action for Jackson, Defense decides to play

The third preseason game is now in the books. This is one where we get to see the starters usually play a series into the second half, and unfortunately, Tarvaris Jackson was on the sidelines all night. I say unfortunately, but at the same time, am pleased with the coaches decision to keep him out of this game. He should rest that knee until the Monday nighter in Green Bay when it really matters. After all, Tom Brady has yet to take a snap this preseason, and no, that does not mean I plug Jackson in the same tier as Brady. Now for a quick look at what I saw in the game Saturday night:

The Good

Defense

From the Bad in game one, to the good in week three. As stated already, week three has a bit more meaning, and the Vikings starting defense showed that well on Saturday. Apparently Childress was not talking out of his ass when he said they played a vanilla defense in week one and two. The front seven had Big Ben confused and flustered all night and held the running game in check as expected. What stood out even more is the way this team tackles. I don't think I saw one broken tackle from the starters and EJ Henderson looks like he might be in the talks of Best Linebacker in the NFL this year.

The Bad

Running Game

Ok, I know this team is trying to establish the passing game to help free up some real estate for MR. 28, but for the third preseason game, the running game was non-existent. This by no means is to take away from the Steelers defense, a defense that is known to stop the run. When you have the Minnesota moving company and backs like AD and Taylor in the backfield, you should still be able move the ball on the ground. It doesn't help that Bernard Berrian has been sidelined that past two games. He was brought in to help spread the field and pull the LB's and Safeties back, and so far, his little toe is bothering him. He's out with a toe injury!!?? I know turf toe is no joke, but come on, he's getting paid way to much to miss this much time. I'm also concerned with Rice, another WR that I thought was set to have an outstanding season. These injuries at wide out are, and should be a huge concern at this point.

The Ugly

Preseason Injuries

A lot of big names have been going down in preseason games around the NFL again. Some want to shorten the preseason, and add to the regular season. I have a problem with that. For years NFL teams have been preparing with the current structure, so why change? If the game is for real (taking two games from preseason and adding them to the regular season - 18 games), won't starting players be subjected to more injuries as they are on the field for several more quarters?

The Preseason is a necessary evil. Players and coaches need the time to prepare, evaluate, and train their bodies/minds for the rigors of an NFL season. I know the infirmary report looks bad, but what do you expect, it's a contact sport.

Tarvaris Jackson Sharp in Preseason Opener

Well it's here, the first preseason game of the 2008 season. This is the year we see what Tarvaris Jackson is made of and if tonight was any indication, Childress deserves many apologies. So here's a quick take on tonight's game. Not the usual Purple Pride Ponderings format as I'm not in regular season form yet either.

The Good

Tarvaris Jackson

Jackson went 8 for 11 with 118 yards and 1 touchdown. He looked poised, in control, and made all the right decisions tonight. The most interesting thing about tonight was that while Jackson was in there, they didn’t run the ball until they got on the goal-line and let Chester Taylor punch it in. A well designed test by the Vikings coaching staff for Jackson turned into a success for the third year quarterback. He used his athletic abilities to avoid the rush and made a couple of nice throws on the run. The Vikings have some potential playmakers with Berrian, Rice, and Allison so teams may be a bit reluctant to stack the box against Peterson if Jackson continues to look the way he did tonight. Another positive for Jackson tonight, he didn’t throw a single jump pass!

The Bad

Defense

It must be noted that Pat Williams was a healthy scratch tonight. With that said, the Vikings starting defense looked rather lackluster tonight. I was hoping to see early signs of a dominant pass rush but that was nowhere to be found. The Seahawks starting offense pretty much had their way against the Vikings defense on the ground and in the air the first two drives of the game. I know it’s only preseason, and the 1^st game at that, but I was still disappointed in what I saw. Hopefully it will be a different story when the Defensive line has Edwards, Williams x2, and Allen in there.

As for the reserves, they didn’t look ANY better. I’m sure this entire side of the ball will have extra duty when they get back to Mankato. I’d love to be a fly on the wall for the film session with the defense tomorrow.

The Ugly

Bollinger and Booty

He only attempted two passes and I think that was by design. He just looks awkward out there and since the Vikings will be cutting down to three quarterbacks soon, I firmly believe Bollinger is the one to go. Jackson, Frerotte, and Booty will be the three and I was almost equally un-impressed with Booty. If Jackson was to be slammed the past two years, this guy should have tomatoes tossed in his face. I’ve been hearing how Booty may have been the most pro-ready QB in the draft, but he looked horrible. His throws were way off target and he just doesn’t have the arm to get the ball downfield that Jackson has.

Vikings 2008 Training Camp: Five Burning Questions

Today was the day every player in the NFL dreads - reporting to Training Camp. The actual fun for the Minnesota Vikings beings on Friday, and like every year at this time, there's several questions before our boys lace the cleats and put on the pads. So here's my top five questions for the Minnesota Vikings leading into the 2008 version of Training Camp.

5. How will the Packers allegations of Tampering affect the Vikings, especially Tarvaris Jackson? (Getting this one out of the way first. Even the NFL Commish wants this soap opera to come to a swift end)

Coach Childress stated a few weeks ago that Jackson is his QB and he's got his full vote of confidence. With phone records stating that Favre made several calls to Bevell and Childress, one might think that Jackson will start to question his coach's actual confidence in him. As late as today, the Star Tribune ran a story stating that Antoine Winfield thinks Favre would be a great fit for the Vikings. But Jackson does have plenty of support from other Pro-Bowl veterans to include Sharper, Pat Williams, and Kevin Williams. Jackson needs to do what the rest of the NFL should have done from the begining and just ignore this story. As it stands, he is the leader of the Vikings and he's got plenty to prove.

4. Does adding Jarred Allen truly improve the Vikings' secondary?

It's been no secret in the NFL the past couple of years on how to attack the Vikings defense. Pass, pass, and pass some more. But you have to mix in the run to open the passing game right? Not on the Vikings because....A) You CANNOT run against them due to the Williams Wall and B) The Vikings are innept when it comes to stopping any passing game in the NFL and they often provide mediocre at best QB's with career games. The Vikings have actually had good personnel in the secondary. Guys like Sharper and Winfield play a Pro Bowl calibur game every year, but when you have zero pass rush, there's no way you are going to cover receivers in the NFL when a QB has all day to survey the field. So, if Allen follows up in Purple with what he did last year in Kansas City, the Vikings' Secondary should be vastly improved.

3. Will Bryant McKinnie be suspended after his court date on September 24th?

Since McKinnie is a repeat offender of the League's Personal-Conduct Policy, he's all but guaranteed to suffer a four game suspension, but not until after his day in court. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings organization deals with this situation as well. He's a huge part of one of the better offensive lines in football, but the Vikings have cracked down on what types of characters they have on their team. Should he only get the four game suspension and be welcome back to the team, it will be an interesting month to see how the line holds up in pass protection and providing the holes for the dynamic duo - Peterson and Taylor. The Vikings must address this in camp and find out who will be able to step up in McKinnie's October absence.

2. Has Adrian Peterson fully recovered from last year's knee injury?

Before Peterson suffered his knee injury in hated Green Bay, he was on pace to beat Dickerson's rookie rushing record. When he came back, he didn't have the same explosive press though the line that propelled him during the first half of the season. According to team trainers and coaches, Peterson looks stronger than ever and has that explosive step back. But, can he sustain it through the course of an entire season? The Vikings are lucky enough to have a humble Chester Taylor behind Peterson, but let's face it, without Peterson, the Vikings offense is no where near the same level.

1. Can Tarvaris Jackson lead the Vikings to the Playoffs and beyond?

Ah yes, the million dollar question. Childress seems to think so and has put all of his faith in Jackson (should you truly ignore Favre's phone records). He's still raw, but I firmly believe he's got the arm to become a good QB in this league. This is the year he gets fairly judged. Gone is Troy Williamson and that alone will be a huge asset in Jackson's decision making. The Vikings also landed Bernard Berrian who started showing #1 receiver ability in this league with a rotating QB situation in Chicago that I feel is far worse than Jackson. Sidney Rice enters his second year and has all the makings of having a break-out season. Allison also showed promise last year as a rookie and Bobby Wade will fill the slot this year, a roll he's happy with and damn good at. Jackson has all the tools to show that he's for real this year, and having AD behind him for a little play action never hurts either. Should the Vikings show that they can establish a passing game early on, that will limit the eight and nine man fronts and make AD even more dangerous.

Madden Curse Strikes Again

Last night I was checking out some of the video previews Shacknews put up straight from the E3 floors. One of the titles I was anxious to checkout was EA Sports’ Madden 2009. The game is looking great and for the first time in years, actually looks worthy of a purchase. I say that only because there really haven’t been many graphical updates or noteworthy game play elements to justify paying $60+ for roster updates.

With all the Favre talk over the last week and a half, it finally dawned on me that the Madden Curse has struck again, and nobody’s talking about it. Sure it normally means that the cover athlete is doomed to suffer a year ending injury at some point. But this time it’s worse, yet beautiful for those of us that continually drink the Purple Kool-Aid. This time the curse affects an entire organization and their fan base.

Aside from the effects on the Packers, what about EA? With the game shipping in less than a month, the production part of it is finished. What happens if Favre gets re-instated and the Packers agree to trade him? All of a sudden you have Favre on the cover of the largest sports game in video game history, in the wrong jersey. The only reason he was chosen as the cover boy to begin with was as a tribute to his Ironman legacy in the NFL.

So not only has Favre’s desire to be the center of attention yet another year disrupted the Packers, Vikings (thanks to the Packers asinine allegations), and fans – it will also impact the video game industry and cause the Marketing team at EA Sports to question their decision making.

So do us all a favor Favre and stay retired. It’s one thing (good thing) to send the Green Bay Packers into a state of disarray, but the Vikings and Madden……..that’s going too far.

As for the game itself - from what I’ve seen while watching the E3 2008 footage, it’s looking very nice. I’ll be picking up this year’s addition for sure and can’t wait to run AD all over everybody on Xbox Live!

Packers passing poor handling of Favre situation onto Vikings

Or at least in a very poor attempt, they are trying to push the attention away. It's no secret that the Packers have handled Favre's change of heart in a piss poor manner, but to try and place blame on the Vikings now, well, I guess that's to be expected from the Cheese Heads. Earlier today Fox Sports' Jay Glazer busted the story on how the Packers claim the Vikings tampered with Favre.

Their big claim is that Favre had some inappropriate dialogue with Darell Bevell, the Vikings current Offensive Coodinator. Of course before Favre came out saying he wanted to play again and would like to be granted a release, it didn't matter that he spoke with Bevell on a regular basis. Bevell and Favre became good friends while the two spent time together in Green Bay. Bevell was an assistant for the Pack from 2000-2005 and spent three of those years as the quarterbacks coach.

As to be expected, and reported on by the Star Tribune, the Vikings have denied all claims of tampering passed down to the league by the bewildered Packers.

Enough is enough Thompson, you've put your own team and fans into a box. Since you are confident enough in Rodgers to place a Hall of Fame QB as a second stringer, let him go. Man up and prove that your team is better without Favre regardless of where he goes.

No Straight Hats in MLB Please!

So I'm watching the 2008 MLB All-Star game when the Reds' Edinson Volquez comes in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning with the National League leading 2-0. Being a fan of the American League, I've not seen much of him, though I do remember him from the Rangers......when he actually curved the bill of his hat and wore it straight!

Seriously, it's bad enough to see today's kids walking around with flat billed hats cocked to the side, do we really need this in Major League Baseball!!?? No! Get some kind of MLB hat code in the game and stop this nonsense now. Thank God C.C. Sabathia went to the Brewers so I only need to see him once a year now (can the Twins please play a different team during Interleague play already!). He's the goof that really started this in MLB, and someone needs to end it now.

Now I know what some will say. Change is good, look what the Fab 5 did for basketball shorts. Well that was a change for the better all around. The last thing we need to see is more hairy leg on the court. Watch a NBA game from the early 90's and before, it's a fightening site to behold. But, even with the longer shorts, at least it's consistent in the entire game and it's not like they are wearing them with six inches of fricking boxer shorts showing!

So please, save our historic past-time and bend the damn bill of the hat......and wear it STRAIGHT!

As for my buddy Volquez. He and his flat, tilted hat left the mound with a tie game, 2-2. JD Drew's first All-Star at bat was a homer as he drove Justin Mornaeu in as well. Twins small ball followed by Boston bang. That's what you get for pissing me off with your rediculous hat Volquez!

Birk back in minicamp - Still waiting on Zygi

If there's one thing we take pride in here in Minnesota sports, it's our home town heroes. From Kent Hrbek to Joe Mauer, Paul Molitor to Dave Winfield - we love to root for those that are "one of us" on the field of professional sports dreams.

Vikings Center Matt Birk is no exception, and like those listed above, is a hard working class act. The fact that he's in the last year of his contract and his absence during the volunteer OTA's a couple of weeks ago raised some eyebrows around here.

When it comes down to it, who really cares? Veteran players like Birk should be able to miss OTA's regardless of their contract situation. Hell, the Giants' Michael Strahan skipped out of OTA's, minicamps, and training camp last season and ended up with a nine sack season - four more than the Vikings sack leaders Ray Edwards and Ben Leber. At this time of his career, players like Birk should be able to spend as much quality time with their families as possible before entering the non-stop grind of a NFL season.

Is the timing of his current contract situtuation along with all this convenient? Sure it is, but don't blame Birk, blame owner Zygi Wilf. Zygi has opened his wallet up more as promised so far leading into the 2008 season, but it's a player like Birk, the anchor of the offense and leader of one of the most prolific running attacks in NFL history that deserves a chunk of the coin.

After all, the Madden 2009 Team and Player rankings were recently released and Matt Birk is rated 95. So it's on you now Zygi, take care of the guy that's been a solid cornerstone to your offense, and one that's going to be depended on for a certain running back known as AD. Besides, it's the fans you need to keep happy if you ever want a chance at getting a new stadium and we the fans love our local sports heroes.

GTA IV this GTA IV that, enough already!

I'm one of the few in this country that has yet to buy into the hype of Grand Theft Auto IV. I can't explain exactly why, maybe it's because 90% of the sales are from little rich punks that had to have mommy and daddy pick up the game for them. It's this group of gamers that annoys the hell out of me and forces me to rip my headset off when playing any game over Xbox Live.

What the broom totting witch that's already lost to Obama needs to realize is that her insane push to ban games like this leads to more attention than necessary. Kids notice that politic wackos push so hard to have certain media removed from store shelves and that's what piques their interest.

I have no doubt that this is a great game, but it's what I laid out above that's keeping me away. The game has been out for two weeks now and it's still the buzz on all the gaming sites out there. With minimal advertising compared to other giant games like Halo 3 (which had an insane amount of advertising to include many spots during NFL Kick Off weekend), GTA IV has already nearly doubled Halo 3's sales, smashing world records.

If I ever check this one out, it will be much later down the road when I can use my 10% off used games card at Gamespot. There's plenty of great games out there and many more to come, so please people, enough of the GTA IV hype already!

Vikings Already Climbing the Power Ranking Ladder

Earlier in the month Sports Illustrated's Peter King raised some eye brows by ranking the Minnesota Vikings number seven in his May Power Rankings. Too soon? Sure, and he admitted that it may be, but with the moves this team has made, they have improved significantly.

Today ESPN released their May edition of NFL Power Rankings and they have the Vikings at number 12, up from finishing the season at 15 last year. Another clear indication that the off season moves the Vikings made have garnered national attention.

At this point I feel Peter King's seven ranking is rather high, but I do feel that ESPN's number 12 is more than appropriate. I do expect this team to move into the top 10 within the first few weeks of the season. The Vikings have improved on both sides of the ball, targeting two areas of need from last year. They made a double move at WR by improving by subtraction (see ya Troy Butterfingers Williamson) and adding a up and coming receiving leader in Bernard Berrian. The two combined should provide more confidence for Tavaris Jackson in his receiving corp.

The other glaring need that was no secret was at defensive end. While Mr. King felt that the Vikings gave up too much for Jared Allen, I feel the deal was needed and will pay dividends for the next several years. He's only 26 and has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the game today. The Vikings have good talent in their secondary, but the lack of a consistent pass rush allowed for any quarterback to come in and pick them apart.

The Giants proved last year that a solid defensive line with a great pass rush is more than enough to turn the tides as they did the impossible, they beat the undefeated New England Patriots. With a solid defense, great running game thanks to the dynamic duo of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, and a serviceable passing attack, there's no reason to think that the 2008 Vikings can't be a contender.

It may be early to some to start talking about Power Rankings, but the truth is that we are only a couple of months away from training camp! So where do you have the Vikings ranked in Mid-May?

Gomez already making Twins history

The young center fielder that came to the Twins from the Santana deal is already in the record books. The zesty speedster became the first Twin since Kirby Puckett to hit for the cycle against the hated White Sox last night. It's been nearly 22 years since Puck did this and other than Houston's Luke Scott, is the only player to hit for the reverse cycle since Jim Fergosi did it in 1968.

"It's amazing," Gomez said. "Kirby Puckett, I saw the video of the player. He is an All-Star and I can't explain it to you. That's unbelievable."

Gomez is the eighth player in Twins history to hit for the cycle. Here's a breakdown of all eight:

Player	Date	Opp.
Carlos Gomez	5/7/08	vs. CHW
Kirby Puckett	8/1/86	vs. OAK
Gary Ward	9/18/80	at MIL (AL)
Lyman Bostock	7/24/76	at CHI
Mike Cubbage	7/27/78	vs. TOR
Larry Hisle	7/4/76	at BAL
Cesar Tovar	9/19/72	vs. TEX
Rod Carew	5/20/70	at KC

The Twins currently hold a 1.5 game lead over the Indians for 1st in the American League Central.

Iron Man, best comic book movie ever?

Well once again I've failed to be a consistent blogger. I'd promise more again, but refuse to this time as life happens and this unfortunately does not pay the bills. So moving on.....

This morning on the way to that dreaded activity called work, I was listening to KFAN's Power Trip Morning Show here in the Twin Cities. Ah yes, how I love to torture myself listening to other grown men that actually get paid to talk about sports, games, and movies day-after-day. This morning they had an interesting topic that I thought would be fun to expound on. The big talk these days in the realm of movies is the incredibly (and well done) Iron Man. Having seen this on Sunday afternoon, I found the main question of the morning from the Super Star and crew rather interesting.....What is the best comic book movie of all-time? From the three that were a part of the discussion, I heard Iron Man, Spider Man, and Batman Begins. Three outstanding choices, and more surprising to me, three different movies spawned from the question.

As I noted earlier, I wanted to expound on this topic, and here it is. My Top Five Comic Book movies based on the current Iron Man release.

1. Iron Man - This is a hands-down, clear-cut, no-brainer to me. I have to confess, when I first heard that Robert Downey Jr. was playing Tony Stark, I was very skeptical. Actually, I was irritated that someone like him continues to get another chance, but I'm more than pleased now that he did. I could not imagine anyone else playing this role. His on screen charm and witty remarks brought life and heart to a Super Hero character, a combination rarely seen in this genre.

2. Batman Begins - Now this movie was a proper representation of what the Dark Knight is all about. Other than Jack Nicholson's role as the Joker in the prior Batman movies (which very well may be usurped by the late Heath Ledger), the others were far too corny and "light" for me.

3. Sin City - For the record, I place graphic novels right alongside comics which is why this fits here. With an intricate combination of live action and CG backgrounds, Frank Miller's amazing work came to life on the big screen. It didn't hurt that this film included a wealth of outstanding acting talent.

4. 300 - Another breath taking work from Frank Miller comes to life. The Battle of Thermoplyae is shown in gruesome, yet beautiful detail as it should be when you consider the premise of 300 Spartans taking on an entire Persian army. While Iron Man got its high marks for deep characterization and spot-on dialog, 300 sits here for the unbelievably bloody battle scenes.

5. Spiderman - This one set the tone for Comic Blockbusters. While it still had some of the corny elements that many comic book movies suffer from, this one had a passion filled story and did a wonderful job developing Peter Parker.

Honorable Mention: X-men - I had a hard time not fitting this into the top five so I had to mention it here. While there is enough story with in the X-men comics to make movies for ever, this first movie was clearly the Wolverine show, and Hugh Jackman was great in the role. I can't wait to see X-men Origins: Wolverine in 2009.

That's my list and I'm sticking to it. There are several others that I love such as The Crow, Ghost World, Blade, The Punisher (NOT the Lundgren version) and Superman, but the ones I listed I could watch over and over. Feel free to comment on my list and I'd love to see some others. Besides, I'm sure I forgot a few that might make me say.....oh yeah.....

Later, and if you haven't seen Iron Man yet, get your ass in the theater now!

Purple Pride Ponderings - Favre Light Edition

Purple Pride Ponderings
September 30, 2007
Green Bay at Minnesota

So I’ve yet to get to one of these this season. Some would say that with your team sitting at 1-3 right after the easiest part of the schedule, why bother? Well that’s just not how I was raised. I’m here to stick it till the end – through the good, the bad, and in most cases this season, the ugly.

I'm going to go ahead and get the Favre record done and out of the way. The national love affair with “number 4” is sickening. Yesterday I heard Berman say, “How can you root against Brett Favre? That’s just Un-American.” Shortly after that, I actually re-tasted and re-ate a small bit of what I had for dinner. But, I must say, congrats to Favre, that’s one hell of a record to break and you are one hell of a player. While I can never say I’m a fan, I am an admirer. All week long I was upset about the fact that he would beat the record in the Dome, but now that it has happened, I’m actually glad because all the fans at Lambeau Field didn’t get to witness it in person. Enjoy it while you can Favre, I have a feeling that Manning will one day eclipse your newfound record.

That’s enough attention given to Favre, now on to the game………

Hardly Outmatched
Going into this game, it was stated everywhere of how outmatched the Vikings were going against the surging Packers. When looking more into the numbers after the game, that was clearly not the case. That Vikings had two more first downs than the Packers and the Packers gained only two more yards of total offense than the Vikings. The Packers ran one more play than the Vikings and the Vikings actually gained a hair more yards per play than did the Packers. There was a less than two minute difference in Time of Possession and the Vikings committed one more penalty than did the Packers. One area that sticks out though would be that sack category. Holcomb was on his back three more times than Favre resulting in a much wider margin of yards lost. That is clearly another indication of poor pass protection and McKinney even found himself yanked from the game because of it. And as far as Driver having a field day on Winfield, that was not the case either. Winfield played another solid game and contained that Packers number one receiver rather well.

Let the kids play
What’s with Childress not allowing the best playmakers on the team to get more touches? He was criticized in last week’s game against the Chiefs (and rightly so) for not having Adrian Peterson in the game during the final drive. So how does he follow that up? Well, let’s look at Peterson’s stats – 12 carries for 112 yards. So let me get this straight, you have a playmaker that’s averaging 9.3 yards per carry, and he only gets 12 touches? Give me a break and give him the damn ball 25 times a game, please!

There’s another rookie playmaker on this team that I think needs to be incorporated into this mundane offense more, Sidney Rice. Did anyone notice how Moss-esque his touchdown catch was? That’s not the first time I’ve noticed it either. He made a few nice plays in the pre-season that had me thinking the same thing. He’s clearly a receiver that can go up and make a play, so start chucking it up to him.

QB Kerfuffle
A much needed bye week is upon the Vikings and that will no doubt find the coaching staff in the midst of some soul-searching over the Quarterback situation. While it’s no secret that Jackson is not ready to lead a NFL team, it’s painfully obvious that Holcomb is not who you want any QB to learn from. The best bet for the remainder of the season is for Jackson to stay out there and take his lumps. I’m a firm believer in on-the-job training and without a legit veteran QB on the squad; it’s by far this team’s best option.

Remaining Schedule Hope?
So here we are at the Bye, sitting at a dismal 1-3 when it could have just as easily been 3-1 if not 4-0. Looking at the schedule before the season started, these first four games appeared to be the easiest part of the schedule with the remaining looking rather daunting. That may not be the case after four games played into the NFL season though. In the next four games, only the Dallas game looks to be out of reach for the Vikings. The Bears, Chargers, and Eagles no longer appear to be anywhere near as good as they should be. After that is the Packer rematch and as we saw yet again today, these games are always a close contest. So, the Vikings have a legit shot at getting to .500 or better in that five game stint and if they can muster any kind of offense what so ever, they should be able to obtain that goal.

Thoughts from the other games

Ø Falcons upset Texans (that just does not sound right), Harrington caught saying “See, who needs Schaub!”

Ø Bills finally win; fans still wonder who the hell Trent Edwards is.

Ø Can anyone figure out the Browns? First the Bengals, now the Ravens? They are a Vegas Odds betting nightmare.

Ø How Bout Dem Cowboys! Seriously, this team is for real and Romo is playing out of his mind.

Ø Lions scratch 34 points into Bears once defensive skin, in one quarter! No offense and now serious issues on defense, the Bears are in major disarray.

Ø Culpepper points to his knee and says, “How you like me now?” Vikings fans say, “Was the bang boat really that bad?”

Ø Note to self; NEVER pick a team that starts David Carr.

Ø The 49ers were the Pre-season sexy pick for the NFC West, is that starting to change for anyone else yet?

Ø It’s been highly noted that the Steelers have yet to beat a quality opponent. Losing to the Cards may have re-iterated that.

Ø Colts start slow - then put the hammer down on the overrated Broncos.

Ø How do you ruin a quality playoff team? Replace you quality Head Coach with Norv Turner.

Ø Hey McNabb, now you know how Kitna felt, and then some.

Monday Night Prediction
I’m looking forward to this matchup because I’m still a Moss fan. I look for him to have a Monday Night game very similar to his rookie break-out game against the Packers in Lambeau Field.

Randy Moss – 21
Bengals – 0

Actual score:
Patriots – 45
Bengals – 17

This will be a laugher and Moss does get into the end zone three times.

That’s it for this week and due to the Bye, there will be no Purple Pride Ponderings next week. Hopefully the Vikings find some kind of offense in their time off and Childress keeps his mouth shut when it comes to play calling. Enjoy the week ahead, I know I will - the Vikings can’t lose!

Later,
Keith Michaels
venomlace@yahoo.com

35W Bridge Collapse

By now the entire world knows about the 35W bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. It’s a somber day here in the North Star state and the catastrophic event affects the entire Twin Cities area in one way or another.

As of now, the death toll stands at four, but is expected to increase as 20-30 people are believed to be missing. This is not like a plane going down where you have a manifest of people. Unfortunately, no one really knows who exactly was on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

Disasters always seem to bring out the best in people and this is no different. Stories of heroes are already being talked about, and I’m sure we are to hear many more. Not all will have a happy ending, but the way in which the entire Twin Cities area responded to this is remarkable.

Despite what some say, the Minnesota Twins made the right decision to go ahead and playball last night. The last thing the responders and emergency crews needed was another 25,000 people flooding the streets. Today’s game with the Royals has been postponed as well as the ground breaking for the new stadium.

It will take a long time for this to get cleaned up, but it does appear that our Government will be stepping up to help in the effort and get a new bridge in place as soon as possible. For those not familiar with the area, this is not just a regular side street bridge that fell; it’s also an Interstate freeway. My drive to work does not include 35W, but I was still affected, sitting in traffic on 494 when I’m normally moving along just fine. There’s no question that this is a crippling event for this area, but things could be worse and we will all get through this.

Throughout the next week or so, many of us will realize that someone we know or knew was affected by this in a tragic way. Already this morning I’ve gotten an email from former co-workers that the nephew of an Attorney we all supported is one of the ones claimed deceased. On a less tragic scale, one of my good buddies called me this morning and told me that he was sitting in traffic on that very same bridge at 5:15 (the collapse happened at 6:05). That was the third time he had traversed that bridge yesterday.

For now, all we can do is hope and pray that the missing 20-30 people don’t increase the death toll. Sports must take a backseat for the time being so check back later for my takes on the Vikings Training Camp, the loss of KG, and some gaming quickies.

Thanks, and God Bless Minneapolis
Keith

Adrian Peterson Signs

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Vikings have agreed to terms with running back Adrian Peterson, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2007 draft.

Per Schefter, Peterson has signed a five-year, $40 million contract, with $17 million in guaranteed money.

Schefter adds that the base value of the five-year package is $25 million.

Peterson is the latest player drafted in the top 16 picks to sign a deal for less than the maximum term of six years.

The maximum annual average of $8 million is actually greater than the average value of LaDanian Tomlinson's contract, who signed nearly three years ago an eight-year, $60 million deal. But it's not presently known what Peterson will have to do in order to cash in on the $15 million or so in incentives.

Now get your butt in camp rookie, and please stay healthy!

Purple Pride Ponderings: 2007 Camp Preview

****Note****
This was originally written on Wednesday July, 25th and a few items have changed since then, such as the signing of WR Sidney Rice. Stay tuned for more of my takes on training camp and the up coming season. Don't forget that I'll also sprinkle a few gaming and technology topics on this lovely blog.

Purple Pride Ponderings
Camp Preview
July, 25 2007


Well, today is the day that players and coaches arrive in Mankato, the site where Vikings Training camp has been held for 42 years running. If your wife or significant other is anything like mine, today sends a chill through their bones and reminds them that summer really is coming to an end (though that’s a tough sell with 120 degree heat index in the Twin Cities today). She may roll her eyes as I set myself for the upcoming season - which includes Fantasy Football drafts, trips to training camp, pre-season game viewing mediocrity, and over zealous Super Bowl dreams (not to mention running three boys to football practice and games), but she still loves me and knew about this NFL baggage when she married me.

In light of all the negativity that surrounds the NFL right now (and the NBA, and MLB, and even the PGA now!!??), let’s get into this year’s Training Camp Preview.

Signature Please
The one thing I can’t stand about the business side of the NFL is the way in which rookie signings are managed. In the NBA, all the draft picks, even the top ten guys, are signed right away and are participating in Summer Leagues. That assures that come training camp, they are all there and ready to go. Not the case in the NFL, instead, we get to sit back and watch greedy agents play their little chess game with the first round guys which leads to many not participating in the first few days (even weeks sometimes) of camp. This is nothing but a major set back in my opinion. But, I guess that’s why they have all the mini camps and OTA’s well before training camp opens.

As of this writing, none of the top 14 picks in the draft have been signed, which of course includes Adrian Peterson. While today is the reporting day, Friday is the actual first day of practice. Hopefully he’ll get signed in time for that, but that would mean picks six and or eight would need to be signed first thanks to the ridiculous way NFL signings work. From what I hear, Sidney Rice is expected to sign sometime today, our savior at WR……..uh, yeah.

Give the Kid a Chance
It’s no secret that the Vikings have the league’s worst group of QB’s (and WR’s). But, that does not mean that one in particular can’t rise above all the negativity and prove that he’s a NFL quarterback. All this press about how the season hinges on how Tavaris Jackson plays is a little off par to me. If anything, it comes to those around him, or more importantly, those protecting him. The offensive line will have to step and play as they look on paper. It’s not fair to judge Jackson off of a couple of end-of-the-season, worthless games from last year. He wasn’t even at the electrifying 100% that we saw in the preseason last year. It’s no secret that the offensive line under-achieved last year so now it’s time for them to step it up. This is a line that should have had time to jell and will be expected to protect a raw second year QB and open monster holes for the potential dynamic duo running backs.

D Better without Tomlin?
You better believe it. Tomlin came in and did some great things and helped turn the Vikings into a run stopping machine. As is known around the league, the pass defense was a completely different story. Sure they were near the top of the league in interceptions and take away’s as a whole, but the secondary gave up more yardage than a one-on-one drill involving Fred Smoot and Steve Smith. Enter Leslie Frazier, a coach whose resume is as great as the ’85 Bears team he played for. He has helped improve the defense of the Eagles, Bengals, and most recently and notably, the Colts. Dungy brought him on last year as a Special Assistant to himself as well as the Defensive Backs coach. The Colts passing defense improved from 15th in 2005 to 2nd in 2006. There’s no doubt that the Vikings’ rush defense will remain solid thanks to Williams’ plugging the middle for yet another year. Add Erasmus James and linebacker Chad Greenway (who missed the entire season last year and will be a big help in nickel coverage) into the mix this year and you have the potential for a solid defensive unit overall. One thing that must improve is the pass rush though. Look for second year player Ray Edwards to make a move in camp and earn the starting job at right end.

That’s a Wrap
That’s it for now, I’ll get more in-depth as camp moves on and we get a couple of preseason games out of the way. I know there was way too much of a positive tone laced throughout this article, but hey, it’s the very beginning of training camp, every team is 0-0 and we are supposed to be optimistic about our teams, right? Trust me, I’ll do my fair share of savaging this team as camp moves on (and I’m sure it will start with the first pass Williamson drops – so in other words, very early).

Football season is here boys and life is good……..for now.


Keith Michaels
venomlace@yahoo.com